Youth need significant relationships with caring adults.
Guidance and support from caring adults as mentors, advisors and counselors has been found to be a critical element to a young person’s life.. Educational achievement; health and safety; and social and emotional development have been shown to be directly impacted by a youth’s support and engagement with a caring adult mentor. Research of youth-adult relationships within youth programming provide these characteristics for developing significant outcomes for positive development: 1) the longer the relationship the better the outcome; 2) youth gain more if adult mentors maintain frequent contact with youth along with family involvement; 3) young people who perceive high quality experiences with their adult mentor experience more benefits from the program; and 4) youth who are most disadvantaged or at-risk seem to benefit most from this adult-youth relationship.
Additionally, the research studies has shown the role of positive relationships with respected adults, outside the family, provides youth with a sense of support, better social development and decreases incidents of youth depression and improves parental relationships (Child Trends). Studies indicate that youth programs that 1) match youth with adults based on similar interests; 2) meet at regular times; 3) are youth-driven and responsive to youth needs and interests; 4) incorporate social activities; 5) maintain long-term relationships; and 6) provide on-going training for participants provide the are most successful outcomes for youth. (Child Trends)